Illegal puppy seller jailed over dog lover attack

The attack happened outside The Buck Inn in July 2020

An illegal puppy seller and a friend have been jailed after they attacked a man angry at his treatment of dogs.

Marco Tondo, 34, of Annan, and Danny Davidson, 26, of Gretna, kicked and stamped on Daley Halbert - leaving him with more than a dozen fractures.

They had previously admitted assaulting him to the danger of his life outside The Buck Inn in Annan in July 2020.

Judge Scott Pattison jailed Tondo for six years and Davidson for five years and three months.

At the High Court in Glasgow, he also ordered Tondo should be supervised for a further two years on his release.

The attack came just months after he was spared jail following a guilty plea to selling mistreated puppies from an illegal "pet shop" in Bishopbriggs.

Exchange of words

An earlier hearing was told all three men were in the pub on the day of the attack.

Prosecutor Angela Gray said Mr Halbert was a "dog lover" and knew Tondo had been involved in breeding the animals.

He was then said to be "unhappy" on hearing things Tondo was saying about dogs.

The court heard "words were exchanged" before Mr Halbert decided to leave the bar.

Footage played during the hearing then showed both men follow the victim onto the street before grabbing him and carrying out a "sustained" attack.

The court was told Mr Halbert suffered "extensive" fractures with more than 12 to his face including a broken nose, jaw and eye socket.

He ended up needing reconstructive surgery with possible concerns of a brain injury.

Tondo's lawyer Paul Mullen said he was "disgusted and ashamed" by his actions.

Donna Armstrong, defending Davidson, told how being on remand had seen him miss the birth of his first child.

'Sustained violence'

The advocate had asked for an alternative to prison, stating Davidson could pay "substantial" compensation as well as serving the maximum 300 hours of unpaid work and being put on a curfew.

However, Judge Pattison said only prison could be imposed on both attackers..

He said: "This was a significant offence of sustained violence.

"It is clear it has had a significant and ongoing impact on the victim's life.

"The video was hard to watch such was the degree of violence."